


I Chose You

by BellarmyBlake



Series: It's Enough [22]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, pre season 3 finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 03:25:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3365945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellarmyBlake/pseuds/BellarmyBlake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: I've been thinking, how did Hook get back to NY? I think he gave up the Jolly Roger in change of a bean. What would Emma think of such a huge sacrifice?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Chose You

Emma caught up with Killian two minutes after he left the apartment in quite a hurry. They'd been discussing everything that'd happened in the past year now that everyone remembered, and had inadvertently landed on the subject of how Hook had returned to the Land Without Magic to find her. After just two minutes of this, he had excused himself for some fresh air. Emma had followed soon after, sensing that something was off - as usual.

She found him at the docks.

"Hook, is everything okay?" she asked as she approached him while he was standing at the edge of the quay. He was staring out of the calming waters, his shoulders tense.

"Fine, love. You should go back to your family." He unscrewed the lid of his flask and took a large swig.

"No, I had to take a breather myself as well." She buried her hands in the pockets of her red leather jacket, and moved to stand beside him. Ever since she got back, the water was one of the only things that could truly calm her nerves and give her new strength. She didn't really know why.

It was a quiet night, barely any wind and no clouds whatsoever. The sky was a blanket of stars, more than she'd ever seen before, and once again a sense of peace came over her. "What happened, Hook?" she asked, looking sideways to find him staring at the water longingly. "Why won't you talk about that year? How did you get here?"

"Lass, I really don't think you'd be at all interested..." he began, but she cut him off. None of this bullshit right now. She needed the truth. From him, she couldn't handle lies.

"But I am. I am interested. Do you think I haven't noticed you avoiding any and all subjects relating to your year in the other realms? Do you honestly believe that I didn't see right through your story of a bird with a potion? This open book thing works both ways."

Killian chuckled. "We understand each other, correct?" Emma nodded. "Love, it's really not that important. I got you to remember. That's what's important."

"To me, it is. What did you have to go through to find me?" Emma had turned her body completely towards him. He sipped the flask again, carefully avoiding her gaze. "Give me that thing." she said, yanking it out of his hands and taking a sip herself. He looked on with an amused expression.

"Taken a liking to it, eh, Swan? You really would make one hell of a pirate." he said with his signature, panty-dropping smirk.

Emma smiled while she handed the flask back. "Thank you, Captain. Now," she looked him dead in the eye, "what happened back there?"

His eyes dropped away from her face, but not before she saw hurt and anguish in them. It made her heart clench; she wanted to be there for him, so badly, if only he would let her in. "Listen, all you have to know is that I was sailing on the Roger when that bird came."

"Not good enough." Emma said sternly. She looked around the docks with impatient eyes, until she realized something was missing. "Where is she?"

"Where's who, love?" Killian asked.

"The Jolly Roger...where's she? I can't see her, is she still in New York?" Emma immediately started planning a way to get her back here, but Killian shook his head.

"No, love, it's not in New York." His voice was pained and soft.

"Then where?"

"She's gone." he whispered.

"Gone? But, how...?" Emma stopped herself as all the pieces fell together. He had to find her, but there had been no potion, he'd all but admitted that out loud. So he had to find the potion for her memories... "You traded her away...to get a way to get to me..." she whispered, looking up at him. "Didn't you? For the potion?"

Killian clenched his eyes shut, biting his lip hard before answering her. "Aye. But not for the potion. I wasn't lying when I said that the potion was attached to it. I traded the Roger for a way to get to you."

Emma stared at him as all suddenly made sense to her. He'd traded his home, the only thing that hadn't hurt him, away for a way to get from one realm to the other. As soon as it all clicked into place, she attacked him. She slammed her hands down on his chest again and again while she yelled, "Why would you do that?! Why would you trade your home away like that?! I'm not worth that, you shouldn't have done that!"

When the initial surprise was over, he started to fight back, grabbing her hands and turning them on her back in one smooth movement. "Emma, calm down, love!"

"You should not have had to give up your ship for me!" she yelled at him, trying to escape from his grip. He was mad, completely and utterly crazy.

"Emma, calm down, you infuriating woman!" Killian exclaimed, cupping her face in his hand while his hook still held her wrists behind her back. "Stop talking nonsense! You were worth the entire Jolly Roger twice!"

That made her stop struggling. "What?"

Killian released her wrists now, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. "I was given a choice. My ship or you. I didn't even have to think twice. My ship was my home for three hundred years. But you...Emma Swan, you are my home now." He smiled lovingly, making her heart jump.

"Do you mean that?" Emma whispered, taking the hand that was resting in her neck and closing her eyes to enjoy his touch, that she'd always liked more than she'd ever let him believe.

"Emma, look at me." he urged silently, tipping her head up. When she opened her eyes, he was close enough that she just had to lean in to kiss him. "You are worth everything I've ever given up for you, and more."

Emma choked up a little. "I'm not used to people saying that to me. Putting me first." Her eyes darted all over the place, pointedly avoiding having to look him in the eye. If she looked at him now, she'd melt down and she couldn't do that, not now.

"Emma..." Killian whispered, moving even closer into her personal space. She found that she didn't mind much. "If you'd stop looking at everywhere but me..." Her eyes reluctantly moved back to his. The blue ocean of love and emotion she saw in there, nearly tore her heart in two. "There's my Swan." he whispered with a smile. "Emma, you deserve to be put first. I will always put you first."

"Why?"

"You know why."

Emma swallowed hard. "You love me." It sounded strange to hear from her own lips, but she knew it was true. She had known, ever since Neverland really.

"I do." Killian whispered softly. "Giving up the Roger was nothing -  _nothing_  - compared to having to give you up. Compared to even the thought of never being able to see you again. I made a choice Emma, and I chose you."

He chose her. Nobody ever chose her. They chose themselves, they chose the cute kid with the blue eyes and the fair skin...but never her. Except for him. "Killian, I - " she said, choking on her own tears.

"Shh, my love." he whispered, only the tiniest flicker of satisfaction in his eyes betrayed the recognition of his name on her lips. His thumb was still stroking her. "I'm going to kiss you now." he told her, and she recognized that he was giving her a choice. He was going to kiss her, and she would have a choice: kiss back or push him away. Let him in, or lose him forever.

She kissed back.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos feed my muse, and she's a hungry lass. If you could take a moment, it'd make my day!


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